


of fences and neighbors

by toboldlywrite



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Body Language, Developing Relationship, F/F, Peggy has trust issues, Personal space issues, and Angie is basically a cat in human form, how do I even tag this, she saw Pegs and was like YES I PICK YOU and that was that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-14
Updated: 2015-01-14
Packaged: 2018-03-07 13:08:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3174536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toboldlywrite/pseuds/toboldlywrite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's something about Angie Martinelli that makes Peggy's carefully constructed boundaries threaten to collapse altogether.</p>
            </blockquote>





	of fences and neighbors

Peggy Carter’s life has always been one of boundaries. Her childhood home, her girls’ school, the military - everywhere she’s gone, she’s had rules to follow, lines to toe. Do this, wear that, stand up straight. For all she’s complained about it (to her goldfish Bart, and then to her own walls when he died), she has to admit all the structure has rubbed off on her. She’s come to have her own set of rules. Look sharp, talk sharper, and don’t let anyone get too close - or, at least, punch them in the face when they do. They’re simpler than the SAS’s laundry list of regulations, but they work just fine for her.

That is, until a certain waitress waltzes into her life, bearing a plate of scrambled eggs and slightly more respect for personal space than a cat.

Angie leans on the bar when she talks to Peggy. She sits down at Peggy’s table and waves clippings from the “for lease” section of the classifieds in Peggy’s face and somehow, God knows how, talks her into living next door to her.

And now she’s sitting on Peggy’s sofa, grinning that infectious grin of hers and dangling the possibility of schnapps in front of her, and Peggy isn’t sure when her boundaries got so thoroughly muddled.

She has to push Angie away. She’s got no choice, really, not with so much at stake and an appointment to keep. Normally she has very little trouble pushing people away, especially if she gets to do so with a right hook. But this time she can hear all the chill in her voice, and it startles her.

She wonders for a fleeting moment if her heart really did go into the ice with Steve.

Angie, it seems, can put up her own fences. Peggy sees a curtain drop over her face, over the hurt in her eyes. There’s a wedge between them now, even though they’re walking side by side to Peggy’s door. _And that’s the way it should be,_ barks a voice in Peggy’s head, one that sounds suspiciously like her first commanding officer. _Keep those fences up. Don’t let anyone in-_

She opens the door to see Ms. Fry and some new girl, and as Ms. Fry makes introductions, Peggy feels almost exposed, as if she and Angie have been caught in the middle of something, as if she really did let Angie in after all.

When she walks into the automat the next night, Angie’s behind the bar again. She addresses Peggy with the same measured tone she uses on all the other patrons. She’s a waitress, Peggy’s a customer. Just like it was at first, before Angie somehow wormed her way into Peggy’s life and everything got so confused. Peggy should feel relieved, really. She’s finally toeing her own lines again. She shouldn’t want to make the bar, the literal wedge between them disappear. She shouldn’t want to destroy the fences she’s so carefully constructed around her life, around her heart.

But she asks about that schnapps anyway, and Angie treats her to another one of those brilliant grins. Peggy’s heart flutters, and she knows her fences are about to come crashing down.

For the first time in a long time, she’s okay with that.


End file.
